Melissa Sandgren

Director of External Community Engagement, Airbnb

Melissa Sandgren is the Director of External Community Engagement at Airbnb, a global platform that connects travelers with unique homes,experiences and services around the world, while creating economic and entrepreneurial opportunities for hosts. In this role, she supports the company’s strategic engagement with multicultural communities, organizations, and stakeholders—focusing on expanding access to hosting, advancing equity, and elevating underrepresented voices across the platform. Prior to this, she supported Airbnb’s global inclusion initiatives and led research exploring the role of human connection in travel and belonging.

Before joining Airbnb, Melissa worked at the intersection of public policy, philanthropy, and social impact—consistently centering equity, dignity, and economic empowerment in her work. She holds a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She previously served on the board of Paid Leave for the United States (PL+US) and co-founded the HKS Women’s Alumnae Network to help foster leadership, connection, and mentorship.

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Panel Information

Latina Welcome Breakfast

7:30 AM

The Latina Welcome Breakfast is a powerful tribute to the women who’ve carried LULAC on their shoulders—trailblazers in every sense. Latinas have led the charge in education, fought for mental health access, built economic power, and driven civic change. They are not just part of the movement—they are the heartbeat of it.